AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



373 



well-picked ones, chained one to the 

 other, thus forming a ligneous cordon 

 around the mast of logs inside. A man 

 away out in the distance may be seen 

 tramping from log to log that none get 

 away, just as a watermelon raiser 

 watches his patch with a trusty Win- 

 chester. 



Cheboygan is finally reached, and 

 then away off in the distance Plank's 

 Grand Hotel looms up with its wonder- 

 ful colonnaded portico, while high on 

 the hill white-washed Ft. Mackinac 

 stares us in the face, and about 5 p.m. 

 we step on the dock and register at the 

 New Mackinac. 



This is a busy little town at this sea- 

 son of the year. Although possessing a 

 normal population of but about 490 

 souls, it is no uncommon thing for 5,000 

 or 6,000 strangers to be on the island 

 at once. The island comprises, in round 

 numbers, 2,000 acres, while 900 have 

 been converted into a National Park. 

 This is a busy little place with boats 

 coming and going, curiosity shops galore, 

 while a galaxy of loud-mouthed carriage 

 drivers, infernally yelling, are seen near 

 the dock. 



There is a great deal of sociability 

 here, and the young ladies in their 

 attire of silk and crepon — Ges Creep-on 

 — with their dear, little footsie-tooties 

 encased in slippers of snowy immacu- 

 lateness, are figures that go gliding back 

 and forth to the cottages and hotels, 

 thus relieving the monotony. 



Sunday I found that pecuniarily I 

 was'nt "in it;" that by going above 

 Detroit my eyes were bigger than my 

 mouth, that I had bit off more than I 

 could chew. So I tried to unravel the 

 knot, but soon found it to be a Gordian 

 one, and gave up in despair. 



In the first place, I knew that the only 

 way I could get money in time was via 

 telegraph, waiving identification. But 

 lo, and behold you, when I inquired 

 about Kennedy, Ohio — the nearest tele- 

 graph station to Pleasant Ridge — on this 

 score, I found it was no money order 

 station, and myself deep as ever in the 

 soup. My condition was ridiculous, 

 knowing that at one time my uncle was 

 Mayor of Cincinnati, my father Treas- 

 urer of Hamilton county, and my grand- 

 father Sheriff, and myself — not able to 

 obtain a cent of money. Having paid 

 my board bill, I had just 78 cents left, 

 and determined to eke that out until I 

 struck Dayton, O., the land of my birth. 



Being no Mason or Odd Fellow, I 

 could not apply to any source like that 

 for aid, but I feel confident if I had 



known the address of any bee-keeper I 

 could have easily secured the loan of 

 money. At 10 a.m. I went aboard the 

 "City of Mackinac," and found that I 

 had 50 cents to spend for breakfast the 

 next morning, and 28 cents for popcorn 

 and "Yucatan." By eating popcorn 

 and swallowing Yucatan spit, I man- 

 aged to stave off hunger the rest of that 

 day. The boat was crowded on account 

 of people going to the International Fair 

 at Detroit, and not being able to buy a 

 berth, I stretched myself out on three 

 chairs in the cabin, and slept the best 

 way I could. 



Arising at 4 the next morning, I was 

 struck with the saying that half of the 

 world don't know how the other half 

 lives. Here they were in a conglom- 

 erate mass, scattered about on cots, 

 chairs, and the floors ; men lying here 

 and babies there, like hogs, while I had 

 to pick my way over their bodies to the 

 lavatory. O how I did wish I could get 

 one of those millionaires out of his berth 

 and pummel him in his " bay window." 

 But not being an advocate of Henry 

 Georgeism, I indulged in no fistic exhi- 

 bitions. 



That morning I played the epicurean, 

 eating as much as I could so as to hold 

 out for the rest of the day. I arrived in 

 Detroit hungry as a wolf, with but 3 

 cents in ray pocket, and as I promenaded 

 up Michigan avenue, I could not help 

 laughing at the ridiculousness of it, as 

 bakery stores and groceries never seemed 

 so plentiful before, when I had but 3 

 cents " in my inside pocket, don't yer 

 know?" 



But making the best of it, I invested 

 in three sugar rolls, which I devoured 

 with great gusto, and then found myself 

 261 miles from home, without a solitary 

 copper. So as soon as possible I boarded 

 the train, half frozen during the night, 

 as I could get no berth, and about 4:30 

 in the morning I arrived at Dayton, O., 

 after a most eventful and never-to-be- 

 forgotten trip, with a sharpened appe- 

 tite for breakfast. Never before did the 

 land of my birth seem "the fairest, the 

 dearest, the brightest on earth," as it did 

 that morning. 



Now, brother bee-keepers, when you 

 contemplate taking a journey, follow 

 the advice of David Crocket, " LoGk be- 

 fore you leap." Travel at first by your- 

 self, and you will soon have "gall" and 

 self-reliance that will surprise you. But 

 after you have been initiated in the ex- 

 periences of traveling, it will pay you to 

 journey with a companion, as you will 

 find it 100 times more congenial. Read 



